Timothy B. Lee covers technology policy, including copyright and patent law, telecom regulation, privacy, and free speech. He also writes about the economics of technology. He has previously written for Ars Technica and Forbes. You can follow him on Twitter or send him email.

Brian Fung covers technology for The Washington Post, focusing on electronic privacy, national security, digital politics and the Internet that binds it all together. He was previously the technology correspondent for National Journal and an associate editor at the Atlantic. His writing has also appeared in Foreign Policy, Talking Points Memo, the American Prospect and Nonprofit Quarterly. Follow Brian on Google+ .

Andrea Peterson covers technology policy for The Washington Post, with an emphasis on cybersecurity, consumer privacy, transparency, surveillance and open government. She also delves into the societal impacts of technology access and how innovation is intertwined with cultural development.

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Tech coalition backs off SOPA support

The Business Software Alliance, which includes tech giants such as Microsoft, Intel Adobe and Apple, has pulled its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act, saying that some “valid and important questions” have been raised and that it “needs work.”

BSA president and chief executive Robert Holleyman said in a blog post Monday evening that the coalition agrees with the basic goals of the bill, but he wants the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether the legislations has “unintended consequences.”

SOPA, as the bill is more commonly known, aims to halt Internet piracy by giving the government more control to shut down Web sites that host or point to unauthorized copyrighted content. The BSA originally supported the act, saying that it would “curb the growing rash of software piracy” promoted by illicit Web sites. Even then, however, the group stressed that it was important to “strike the right balance” between stopping piracy and limiting innovation.

Since listening to the debate over the bill — which has included a sort of popular uprising on the Internet against the measure — Holleyman wrote that SOPA needs to be pared down to be effective.

“Due process, free speech and privacy are rights that cannot be compromised,” Holleyman said, adding that “BSA has long stood against filtering or monitoring the Internet.”

On Monday, a House aide told The Washington Post that the bill was slated for markup on Dec. 15. The aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity since the legislation is still being debated, said that sponsor and committee chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is “open to changes” in the bill.

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